UMass Amherst and Spacelabs Healthcare, a leading healthcare technology company based in Snoqualmie, Washington, today announced a collaboration agreement with the shared mission of expanding medical technology and improving lives through value-based innovation.

Spanning clinical and technical areas, the collaboration agreement leverages the competencies of the two organizations to form an active partnership with academic, research and development, and commercial potential.

The collaboration agreement provides UMass Amherst nursing students access to new technologies to supplement their education, and it expands clinical simulations at the university and at the UMass Center at Springfield. In addition, UMass Amherst and Spacelabs will share resources for targeted initiatives supporting research, learning and healthcare advancements.

“Spacelabs is extremely excited about the opportunities that exist with an outstanding academic institution such as UMass,” said Spacelabs president Sujit Kumar. “The many synergies, including our rich histories, achievements, and commitment to excellence make this collaboration a true partnership.”

“Working with a passionate organization such as Spacelabs helps us combine academics and research to inspire unique possibilities for both faculty, students and create innovative ways to improve patient health outcomes,” said Stephen Cavanagh, College of Nursing dean.

“We are delighted to make extensive core equipment facilities, collaboratories and partnerships on human health-related research themes available to Spacelabs,” said Peter Reinhart, director of the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS). The institute fosters a wide range of innovative programs in three centers, including the Center for Personalized Health Monitoring, providing interdisciplinary research, training, technology development and human validation testing. The institute was in part funded by a $95 million capital investment from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

Spacelabs Healthcare, Inc. (www.spacelabshealthcare.com), a subsidiary of OSI Systems Inc., is an international developer, manufacturer and distributor of medical equipment and services including solutions for patient monitoring and connectivity, anesthesia delivery and ventilation, diagnostic cardiology, and supplies and accessories selling to hospitals, clinics and physician offices. The company has offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, China and Singapore and distributors in more than 100 countries around the world.